Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa acquitted again of tax evasion in the Philippines

She smiled as the verdict was read. Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa was acquitted on Tuesday September 12 in Manila of the last charge of tax evasion for which she was being prosecuted. But the Filipino journalist still risks a long prison sentence in other proceedings.

“You have to have faith”, Ms. Ressa told the press as she left the court. The judge also acquitted Rappler, the online media of which she is the co-founder. Maria Ressa, 59, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitri Mouratov, faced numerous legal harassments under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022). The journalist and her publication virulently criticized the bloody anti-drug policy led by the former leader.

Maria Ressa and call back faced five tax evasion charges after the 2015 sale of certificates of deposit, a way for companies to raise money from foreign investors. Last January, a court acquitted her of the first four charges, and another court exonerated her on the fifth on Tuesday.

Despite these legal victories, the future of Ms. Ressa and call back remains uncertain, as they still face two other trials. Ms. Ressa and a former colleague, Rey Santos Jr, were found guilty in 2020 of “cyber libel”. The case, for which they face nearly seven years in prison, is currently being examined by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

“Rappler” gagged

Rappler, meanwhile, is challenging a shutdown order from the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly violating the ban on foreign ownership in media outlets. Under the Constitution, investments in media are restricted to Filipino citizens or entities controlled by them. However, the proceedings arise from an investment made in 2015 in call back by the philanthropic company Omidyar Network, created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Omidyar Network then transferred its investment into call back to local managers of the site in order to prevent any attempt at closure by the government.

The legal troubles of Ms. Ressa and call back began in 2016 with the election to the presidency of Mr. Duterte, accustomed to nauseating attacks against his opponents. The media outlet and its founder have faced what press freedom advocates describe as a series of criminal prosecutions and arbitrary arrests and online harassment.

Mr. Duterte’s government has maintained that it had nothing to do with the initiation of these legal proceedings. Another fierce critic of Mr. Duterte, human rights activist Leila de Lima, spent more than six years in prison on drug trafficking charges that she says were fabricated to silence her.

Throughout the campaign against her, Ms. Ressa, who also has American citizenship, remained in the Philippines. She is on bail while the Supreme Court reviews her cyberdefamation conviction, and must seek court permission if she wishes to travel abroad. This was the case for receiving his Nobel Peace Prize, in Norway in December 2021, with Mr. Mouratov, for their efforts aimed at “protect freedom of expression”.

Ms. Ressa was optimistic on Tuesday, saying that her latest acquittal “strengthens our resolve to pursue the justice system”. “This shows that the justice system is working and we hope that the other charges will be dismissed”she said.